Trevor to Face Former Team

Lost One · Jun 1, 2009

The Lakers are looking for redemption in the NBA Finals. In many ways, so is Trevor Ariza.

The Lakers' starting small forward was jettisoned by the Orlando Magic in November 2007, deemed a non-fit for an offense that required shooters, not stoppers, under the system of newly hired Coach Stan Van Gundy.

The Lakers saw a hint of potential in Ariza and sent Brian Cook and Maurice Evans to the Magic for Ariza, a trade that surprised several Lakers players who were close friends of Cook and Evans.

Orlando seemed torn. A story in the Orlando Sentinel the day of the trade referred to Ariza as a "promising player" and quoted Magic General Manager Otis Smith as saying "He's one of 'my kids.' "

Van Gundy, however, was less fond of Ariza in his comments.

"Trevor was in a tough situation," he said at the time. "I hope he finds the right situation. I think it was a good move for us."

Neither Cook nor Evans is still with the Magic. Cook was traded to Houston a few months ago for Rafer Alston. Evans signed with Atlanta as a free agent last July.

Ariza, obviously, is still with the Lakers, averaging 11.4 points and shooting 50% from three-point range in the playoffs, putting him third among players with 20 or more attempts behind the arc in the . He also had game-turning steals twice against Denver in the Western Conference finals.

Now he gets to show what he can do against his former team in the NBA Finals, which begin Thursday at Staples Center.

"I made a lot of friends there," Ariza said. "But now it's business."

Not long after Van Gundy was hired in June 2007 to coach Orlando, he met with Ariza in Los Angeles. Van Gundy said Ariza would be an important part of his plans in Orlando, but it didn't work out that way, for a variety of reasons. The Magic ended up signing sharp-shooter Rashard Lewis to a six-year, $118-million free-agent contract in July 2007.

Van Gundy also ended up wanting a solid shooter at small forward, which wasn't a big part of Ariza's game at the time. He was reduced to limited minutes as a defensive specialist.

After averaging 8.9 points and 4.4 rebounds in 22.4 minutes a game under Coach Brian Hill in 2006-07, Ariza was averaging only 3.3 points and 10.5 minutes under Van Gundy when he was traded to the Lakers three weeks into the 2007-08 season.

Ariza was asked Monday if he had any hard feelings toward Van Gundy.

"It's not about me, or one person in this series. It's about a team," Ariza said. "I think he's a good coach. I didn't fit into his style of play, and that's fine with me. You're not going to fit into everybody's system."

The Lakers certainly don't harbor any hard feelings about the trade, particularly after Ariza worked dutifully on his outside shot last summer. Despite all the buzz about Orlando's outside shooting, Ariza is showing better accuracy than any of the Magic's three-point shooters in the playoffs.

"For a lot of people in the league, this is a young guy who came out early [from UCLA] and bounced around from New York to Orlando, had some issues early with injures and playing time," Lakers Coach Phil Jackson said. "Here he is now as a starter that's a solid performer. We think of him as a night-in, night-out performer for us."
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http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-lakers2-2009jun02,0,7208803.story

huevonkiller · Jun 2, 2009

Stil has a lot to learn from Luke but he's getting there. :[

Ludichris · Jun 2, 2009

Lost One said: ↑

The Lakers certainly don't harbor any hard feelings about the trade, particularly after Ariza worked dutifully on his outside shot last summer. Despite all the buzz about Orlando's outside shooting, Ariza is showing better accuracy than any of the Magic's three-point shooters in the playoffs.
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My favorite part of the article...

JE · Jun 2, 2009

omgzzz he must want revenge on orlando!!!!!!!!

Mamba · Jun 2, 2009

An easy ring for Trev is in store.

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